St. Landry democrat., 1887-11-12
POPULAR SCIENCE.
Points of Interest Engaging the Atten-
ton of Savants.

Points of Interest Engaging the Atten-
ton of Savants.
The ease and slight expense at which an
electric railroad can be operated in large
works already provided with a dynamo for
electric lighting is we'll shown says the
Electrical World, in the venture recently car
ried out by the East Boston Sugar Refinery
at East Boston. The refinery, which is the
largest in New England, is situated about
1900 feet from the docks where the raw
sugar is unloaded from the ships Formerly
the hogsheads and bags We're loaded on
railroad truck drawn by horses. the work
being such as to tax the animals very
severely and necessitating frequent changes.
AS the refinery is provided with 150-light
Edison plant, it was determined to put in an
electric railroad. and the installation was
undertaken by the Sprague Electric
Railway Motor Company of New
York. The rolling stock consists of two
hat-cars one of which carries the motor
of tifteen-horse power at its forward
end, together with raised platform. upon
which are placed the regulating and reversing
switches. The cars are capable of taking
load Of twelve hOgsheads, equivalent to
10000 pounds. The current is taken from
the lSuII1lUS dynamo anu leu W Tic luOtOT
from an overhead wire and trollery, the
track being used on the return. With the
electric railroad the work of transferring, can
be done in one-fourth the time formerly re-
ouired with horses; although the ships are
constantly unloading at the docks the linn
tied capacity of the railroad to handle the
work has not yet been reached. The motor
operates without noise, and although the
track is in bad condition, being invariably
covered with sugar and mOlasses, no difficulty
in operating has yet been experienced.
Another interesting feature is the fact that
thus far no apprecable increase in coal con-
sumption due to the operation of the electric
railroad in connection with the lights has
been noticed
The extraordinary pearl known as the
Southern Cross PEARL is a freak of nature
{Engineering says) which has not yet been
explained. The pearl was found at Roe
burn, Western Australia, and consists of
nine pearls adhering together in the form
of Latin cross, seven in the shaft and two
in the arms, one on each side of the shaft,
nearly opposite the second pearl from the
top. The pearls are slightly compressed, like
peas in pod +; and no trace of an artificial
junction can be observed 1t has been sug-
gested that fragment of sea-weed may have
got into the shell and formed the frame of
the construction. The pearls are of fine
quality, though slightly mlsshapen in parts,
and the value of the gem is very high. Its
character is unique and filled the owner
an Irishman named Kelly-with supersti-
tious awe, which led him to secrete itfor some
time.
Referring to recent British case of fatal
tight lacing, and to the claim that British
Ladies are here and there to be found who
have with equal courage and good sense dis
pensed with stays Professor V. A. Manas-
sien (Vrdtch. No. 26, 1887 p. 500 observes
that, unfortunately, it is impossible to say
the same for Russian ladies. The admins
trative officers of Russian schools for girls
demand the wearing of the constructing ap-
paratus from all lady teachers. A consump-
tive school teacher was lately strongly rep
rimanded by the school mistress when the
former, following the authors advice, had
ventnred to put her stays aside more than
this" remarks the author, lit has happened
to us to have seen, tightly laced in corsets
even-horribte dicta-lady doctors"
The Roman soldiers who built such won
derful roads, and carried weight of armor
and luggage that would crush the average
farm hand, lived on coarse brown bread and !
sour WINE. They were temperate in diet
and regular and constant in exercise The |
Spanish peasant works every day and dances
half the night, yet eats only his black bread,
onion and watermelon. The Smyrna porter
eats only little fruit and some olives, vet .
he walks off with his load of hundred
pounds. The coole, fed on rice, is more act
i've and can endure more than the negro fed /
on fat meat. The heavy work of the world !
is not done by men who eat the greatest
quantity. Moderation in diet seems to be /
the prerequisite of endurance.